System of pulsators for an electro-ophthalm

ABSTRACT

System of pulsators constituting the main unit of an electroophthalmic device, that is an apparatus mounted on a helmet worn on the head and providing pseudo-vision to blind persons. The pulsators transmit pulses onto the person&#39;&#39;s forehead by means of coils and slides pulsating therein.

United States Patent [191 Wysocki et al.

[ 51 Sept. 17, 1974 SYSTEM OF PULSATORS FOR AN ELECTRO-OPHTHALM [76] Inventors: Stanislaw Wysocki, ul. Grochowska 54 m.l9; Janusz Chalecki, ul. Grochowska 54 m.28, both of Warszawa, Poland [22] Filed: Dec. 15, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 315,668

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data I Dec. 18, 1971 Poland 152277 [52] US. Cl 3/1, 340/407 [51] Int. Cl. A61f l/24 [58] Field of Search 3/1; 340/407; 35/35 A;

l78/7.6, DIG. 32; 250/221, 222 R; 128/410 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,439,995 4/1948 Thrailkill 128/92 A X Benham et a] 250/221 Figar 128/410 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 743,764 l0/l966 Canada 3/1 Primary ExaminerRichard A. Gaudet Assistant ExaminerRonald L. Frinks Attorney, Agent, or FirmWaters, Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen [5 7] ABSTRACT System of pulsators constituting the main unit of an electro-ophthalmic device, that is an apparatus mounted on a helmet worn on the head and providing pseudo-vision to blind persons. The pulsators transmit pulses onto the persons forehead by means of coils and slides pulsating therein.

3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures SYSTEM OF PULSATORS FOR AN ELECTRO-OPHTHALM The invention relates to a system of pulsators constituting the main unit of an electro-ophthalmic device, that is an apparatus mounted on a helment worn on the head and providing pseudo-vision to blind persons, the pulsators transmitting pulses onto the persons forehead by means of coils and slides pulsating or reciprocating therein.

Pulsators known up to date from research and experimental work, adapted to transmit pulses onto the forehead of patients, operate on the principle of a vibrating plate, or they have a cylindrical shape and are provided with a vibrating pressure member. Such pulsators are usually screwed into a mounting or frame clamped with a band, whereby the mounting touches the persons forehead with its entire surface or with surfaces of ring sectors of the pulsators.

Such pulsators exhibit considerable overall dimensions which seriously limit the number of pulsators being accommodated on the patients forehead. Screwing the pulsators into the mounting causes an inconvenient twisting of the leads which connect the pulsator coils with the supply unit. The construction of the mounting of the pulsators does not allow correct adjustment of the pulsators one by one against the forehead of the patient.

For physiological reasons a negative feature of such systems is the steady pressure exerted by the mounting or the pulsators themselves onto the patients forehead.

Securing a stable clearance between the pulsators and the forehead of the patient resulted in the necessity of shaping the pulsators mountings individually for every case. For production-economic reasons this constituted so far an essential disadvantage of such devices and systems.

The object of the present invention is to provide a pulsator system which eliminates the disadvantages of known systems, which renders possible to locate a possibly high number of pulsators on the limited area of the forehead, having closely spaced pulsators with small overall dimensions, situated as perpendicularly as possible and at a suitable distance from the forehead in one type of a pulsator mounting, and enabling the pulsators to be semi-automatically adjusted in relation to' the persons forehead, possibly perpendicularly and at an appropriate distance from it.

According to the invention the objects are achieved by a system of pulsators for an electro-ophthalmic device, provided with a bearing frame rotatively mounted to the helmet and having two stabilized positions. In this frame a shiftable and fixable pulsator mounting is arranged, provided with openings in the form of noncircular cylinders, made in layers of parallel planes, the axes of the openings being convergent in each plane. The pulsators are slidably fitted in the openings and axially fixed through mutual intersection of teeth made in bobbins of the pulsators, and side flanks of pins seated in circular holes of the pulsator mounting and passing through all layers of the pulsators.

The invention will hereinbelow be described more particularly by way of an exemplary embodiment. In the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 is'a somewhat schematic plan view of the inventive pulsator system for an electro-ophthalmic'device; and

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through one of the pulsators.

As shown in FIG. 1, a frame 1 of the system of pulsators for an electro-ophthalmic device is rotatively supported by shafts (also called ears) 2 of a helmet (not shown in detail), adapted to be placed on a persons head, in the area of the forehead. The frame can be fixed, by known means (between frame 1 and shaft 2) in two stabilized positions; an open position to place the helmet on the-persons head, and a closed one, actually the operational position. The invention does not provide a particular structure for securing the two stabilized positions of frame 1 and shafts 2 as well as of mounting 3 with respect to frame 1, since they are not the subject matter of the present application, and can be designed in any of the known methods, such as the one shown in US. Pat. No. 3,464,403 of Sept. 2, 1969 to S. Figar.

In frame I a mounting 3 having the form of a ring sector is fitted for pulsators, the latter being shown in the sectional view of FIG. 2. The directional arrangement of the pulsators is shown in FIG. 1 with dot-and-dash lines, directing them inwardly, against the persons forehead (in FIG. 1, from left to right). Mounting 3 is provided with stops 4 and is capable in a known manner to be displaced in relation to frame 1 and to be fixed after being set up with the stops on the persons forehead.

Mounting 3 is provided with openings 13 made in parallel layers, convergently in each plane, and perpendicular to the axis of the ring sector, which openings are intended as seats for the pulsators. Holes 14 are made between openings 13, parallel to the sector axis, which intersect partially with pulsator openings 13 ad-, jacent on both sides, being designed for pins 5 passing through all layers of the pulsator openings, and fixing the pulsators in relation to mounting 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, each pulsator includes a plastic bobbin 6 in which electric leads 7 are partly embedded, the latter being connected with a coil winding 8 wound upon bobbin 6. In the latter a pin-shaped slide 9 with a spring 10 and a slide base 11 are mounted in order to produce and apply pulses to the patients forehead.

The front ends of bobbins 6 are preferably covered by caps or fasteners 12 to be explained somewhat later.

The appropriate adjustment of the pulsator system to the individual patient consists in that, after the helmet is well fitted to the patients head, in the operational position of frame 1, the adjustment and fixing of mounting 3 follows so as to position stops 4 against the forehead. In the horizontal position of the patients head, the pulsators held by mounting 3 slip by themselves therein until caps 12 come into contact with the patients forehead, and in this position bobbins 1 6 are fixed with pins 5 which, on being pierced through holes 14 of mounting 3, engage with the teeth arranged on both sides of bobbins 6 of the pulsators, as shown at the right-hand side of FIG. 2.

On removing caps or fasteners 12, the required equal distance between the forehead of the individual patient and the separate pulsators is established. Slides 9 are now free to reciprocate, upon energization of the respective windings 8 from a conventional electroophthalmic supply unit, and touch the persons forehead in accordance with the pseudo-visual information to be transmitted.

It should be understood of course that modifications and changes can be made in the disclosed system and its details, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as here disclosed.

What we claim is:

l. A system of pulsators including bobbins, for an electro-ophthalmic device adapted to be placed about the forehead of a person, comprising a pulsator mounting with openings for the pulsators, in the form of noncircular cylinders made convergently in parallel layers, the pulsators being slidably fixed in said openings with mutual intersection of teeth made in the bobbins included in the pulsators, with side flanks of pins seated in holes in said mounting, said pins going through all of said layers of the pulsators.

2. The system of pulsators as defined in claim 1, wherein said pulsator mounting is in the shape of a ringsector having therein said openings for the pulsators in parallel planes perpendicular to the axis of said ringsector and convergent in each of said planes with said axis.

3. The system of pulsators as defined in claim 2, wherein said holes of the mounting for said pins are cylindrical and made between said openings for the pulsators, substantially parallel to said axis of the ring-sector. =l 

1. A system of pulsators including bobbins, for an electroophthalmic device adapted to be placed about the forehead of a person, comprising a pulsator mounting with openings fOr the pulsators, in the form of non-circular cylinders made convergently in parallel layers, the pulsators being slidably fixed in said openings with mutual intersection of teeth made in the bobbins included in the pulsators, with side flanks of pins seated in holes in said mounting, said pins going through all of said layers of the pulsators.
 2. The system of pulsators as defined in claim 1, wherein said pulsator mounting is in the shape of a ring-sector having therein said openings for the pulsators in parallel planes perpendicular to the axis of said ring-sector and convergent in each of said planes with said axis.
 3. The system of pulsators as defined in claim 2, wherein said holes of the mounting for said pins are cylindrical and made between said openings for the pulsators, substantially parallel to said axis of the ring-sector. 